一個更高的異象—美國遺產概要8
政府從我們的憲法停泊處分離出來，反映出教會是如何從聖經停泊處分離出來。我們國家對正義的踐踏反映出在教會裡缺乏公義，人們很快因誹謗、八卦和傳聞被宣告有罪，而沒有合法的訴訟程序。再一次，當敗壞與黑暗在我們的土地上成長，我們可以指向教會沒有成為所蒙召的鹽和光。
身為美國共和國的公民，我們有責任指出我們政府領袖的錯誤。在新約中，指出教會領袖的錯誤和失職是聖徒的責任。當彼得偏離福音核心真理時，就連當時最幼嫩的使徒保羅都起來說彼得的不是。我們若被託付真理，我們就被要求大膽為真理站立，甚至在需要時面質我們的領袖。
要成為我們所蒙召的鹽和光，我們必須擁有對當代重大議題的解決辦法。聖經宣稱基督徒若尋求屬天的智慧，我們便擁有通往屬天智慧的門路。從上頭來的智慧將糾正錯誤、修正問題，我們擁有通往上帝的門路，祂可以修補任何事情。
當權政府的委任為要立定法律，但教會的責任為要改變人心，要對付終極議題兩者皆需要。教會無法做政府的工作，政府也無法做教會的工作。這需要彼此堅守自己的崗位，但若要工作得以完成，彼此之間需要有同工的關係。
因著教會被呼召成為國家的先知，有時需要勇敢面對政府、反對其所作所為，正如聖經中先知對君王所做的。即便如此，這並不表示教會被呼召與政府敵對。當政府做正確且正義之事，教會需要支持政府。政府和教會都是神的僕人，正如我們在羅馬書十三章所讀到的。我們應當成為國家目的首要與最重要伙伴，但在必須時也願意去面質政府。
控制行為的法律是有必要的，但我們絕不能滿足於一個人是好人只因為他們必須成為好人。在教會中應有一個更高的呼召，就是把神的律法寫在人的心中，好讓他們想要去做對的事情，而不是出於必須。
當紐約街頭的路燈熄滅了，暴亂與搶劫充斥整個城市。當時的英國首相柴契爾夫人觀察到此現象，便說了一個顯著真理：「文明虛有其表、不堪一擊」。沒有法律與司法體系的約束措施，人們很快會敗壞。這即是為何我們需要政府，但當路燈熄滅時，身為人類卻無法改變自己的行為，這是我們需要教會的原因。
美國共和國元老陳明，這樣的政府只對有道德與宗教人士管用。我們失去道德或宗教到一個地步，政府的型態將墮落至暴政，就像美國現在正在做的。目前正發生在我們國家事件的根源，不是政府類型不好或是政府無能的結果。更多的原因是出於道德與宗教的背離，多數是教會沒成為所蒙召的鹽和光所造成的。
我們若不改變方向，我們最終將抵達我們前往之處。美國前往之處是許多國家與帝國曾走過的同樣結局，他們失去基本道德：先是無政府狀態，接著是毀滅，暴政隨之而來。要一個人改變方向很難，但要整個國家改變方向更難。我們更多朝著目前的路線走下去，會越走越艱難，但我們若轉向主，沒有什麼不可能的，在祂沒有難成的事。
改變路線從宣告必須做成的事開始，要知道我們將轉向的正確方向，必須先知道我們要去哪裡和我們正在哪裡。我們的建國文獻是我們的指南針，我們若不重複參考這些文獻，我們將繼續偏離路線，正如我們現在所做的一樣。
開國元老在他們的日記與個人寫作中常提到，要維護共和國，教會何其重要。從建國之初到前半世紀（1950），教會和政府之間有很強的連結與伙伴關係。雖然因為雙方都是由不完全的人所組成而使這關係不盡完全，但行出來的力量卻很強大。
到了1960年代，有一小群卻很大聲的運動興起，聲稱其目標就是要打破政府與教會之間的關係。這些我們自由的敵人宣稱，他們意圖從政府與公共場合除去與神相關的提及。他們知道這樣的事無法經由國會來通過法律，因此他們以法院為目標，透過最高法院制訂法律來取代國會。這是公然違憲，但不法者完全漠視法律─他們為達目的不擇手段。法院被證實願意打破其憲法路線，奪取國會和行政部門的權威，開始破壞憲法並侵蝕我們最基本的自由。
美國對最高法院禁止在公立學校禱告的決定感到震驚，但這小群人卻成功擺脫對《憲法第一修正案》最基本、最明顯的違反─不禁止對宗教信仰的自由行使。國會或行政部門都沒有為著憲法權威來辯護，所以憲法被削弱，然後被法院破壞，直到今日仍岌岌可危。
美國被建立是為要成為受逼迫基督徒和猶太人的避風港，現在卻在攻擊他們與宗教自由。教會若不對政府這種偏離正道、日益專橫的行為採取先知性的權柄，那麼我們的共和國很快就會滅亡。
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～摘錄美國獨立宣言作者與第三任總統─湯馬斯·傑弗遜（Thomas Jefferson）～
因此，珍惜我們百姓的心靈，持續讓他們關注公共事務。不要對他們的錯誤過於嚴苛，乃是用啟發來教化他們。假若他們一旦對公共事務漠不關心，那麼你我以及國會，議會，法官和州長將全淪為如狼一樣的人。
～摘錄美國獨立宣言的第一個簽署人─約翰·漢考克（John Hancock）～
抵制暴政成為基督徒與每個人的社會職責…繼續堅定下去，並徹底感受到對神的倚靠，高尚地捍衛天上所賦予的權利，任何人都不應剝奪。
(摘自喬納word for the week, Week 8, 2020)
A Higher Vision—Heritage Brief 8
The detaching from our constitutional moorings by our government is a reflection of how the church has detached from its biblical moorings. The trampling of justice in our country is a reflection of the lack of justice in the church, where people are quickly declared guilty by slander, gossip, and hearsay without due process. Again, when corruption and darkness grows in our land, we can point to the church for not being the salt and light we are called to be.
As citizens in a Republic, we have the responsibility to speak out against the wrongdoing of our government leaders. In the New Testament, it is the responsibility of the saints to speak out against the wrongdoing and omissions of church leaders. Even the youngest apostle, Paul, stood up to Peter when he was drifting from the core truth of the gospel. If we have been entrusted with the truth, we are required to stand up for it with boldness, even to confront our leaders when they need it.
To be the salt and light we are called to be, we must have solutions to the important issues of the times. The Bible declares that Christians have access to the wisdom from above if we will ask for it. There is wisdom from above that will right any wrong and fix any problem. We have access to The One who can fix anything.
It is the civil authorities’ mandate to make laws, but it is the church’s responsibility to change hearts. To address the ultimate issues requires both. The church cannot do the job of the civil government, and civil government cannot do the job of the church. This requires that each stay within their own lane, but if the job is going to be done, it is necessary that there be a working relationship between the two.
Because the church is called to be a prophet to the nation in which it abides, it may at times need to stand up to the civil government and oppose what it is doing, just as the prophets did to the kings in Scripture. Even so, that does not mean that the church is called to be in opposition to the government. When the government is doing what is right and just, the church needs to support it. Civil government and the church are both servants of The Lord, as we see in Romans 13. We should be first and foremost partners in our national purpose, but willing to confront when necessary.
Laws that control behavior are necessary, but we must not settle for a people who are good because they have to be. There is a higher calling that is the place of the church to write God’s laws on the hearts of the people so they want to do what is right.
When the lights went out in New York, riots and robbery broke out across the city. Observing this, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher stated an obvious truth, “The veneer of civilization is very thin.” Without the restraint of laws and a system of justice to enforce them, people can degenerate into evil very fast. This is why we need civil government. The pursuit of being a people that do not change their behavior when the lights go out is why we have the church.
The Founders of the American Republic stated that such a government could only work for a moral and religious people. To the degree that we lose our morality, or our religion, this form of government will degenerate into tyranny, just as America is now doing. The root of what is now happening to our country is not the result of a bad form of government, or because there are inept people in it. This is more the result of the departure of morality and religion from the country, mostly caused by the church not being what we are called to be—salt and light.
If we do not change our direction, we will end up where we are headed. Where we are headed is to the same conclusion that many nations and empires have gone when they lost their basic morality: first anarchy, then destruction, followed by tyranny. For a person to change direction is hard, but for a whole nation it is much more difficult. The further we go down the course we are now on the harder it will be, but it will never be impossible if we turn to The Lord. Nothing is impossible for Him.
Changing course begins with the declaration that it must be done. To know the right direction to turn, we must know where we are supposed to be going and where we are. Our founding documents are our compass, and if we do not repeatedly refer to them we will continue to drift from our course, just as we have.
In the journals and personal writings of the Founders, they often refer to how crucial the church was for maintaining the Republic. From the beginning, and until the last half century, there was a strong bond and partnership between the government and the church. It was not perfect because both are made up of imperfect people, but it worked powerfully.
In the 1960s, small but loud movements emerged with the stated goal of breaking this relationship between the government and the church. These enemies of our liberty declared their intent to remove all references to God from government and public places. They knew they could not get such things passed as laws through Congress, so they targeted the courts to pre-empt Congress by making laws from the bench. This was blatantly unconstitutional, but the lawless care nothing for obeying the law—they will do anything to achieve their agenda. The courts proved willing to break out of their constitutional lane to usurp the authority of Congress and the executive branches, and began to undermine The Constitution and erode our most basic liberties.
The nation was shocked by the Supreme Court decision to forbid prayer in public schools. But they got away with this most basic and obvious violation of the First Amendment to not prohibit the free exercise of religion. Neither Congress or the executive branches defended their constitutional authority, so The Constitution was weakened and then unraveled by the courts until today it is hanging by a thread.
The nation that was founded to be a haven for persecuted Christians and Jews is now attacking them and religious liberty itself. If the church does not take the prophetic authority it has to this aberrant and increasingly tyrannical behavior of the government, our Republic is near its end.
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Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and assemblies, judges, and governors, shall all become wolves. – Thomas Jefferson
Resistance to tyranny becomes the Christian and social duty of each individual…Continue steadfast and, with a proper sense of your dependence on God, nobly defend those rights which heaven gave, and no man ought to take from us. – John Hancock
